Playing Tag
by Dramatic Insanity
Summary: Julien is hopelessly in love with Skipper and always reminds him… believing that Skipper will one day return his love. The tables are turned when Skipper suddenly becomes infatuated with Julien and won't give him a moment of peace.


"Skipper!"

"Oh - what the deuce." Skipper drops his forehead on his flipper.

"How is my favorite boyfriend being today?"

"I'm not your boyfriend, Ringtail."

"Since I am king, and I say you are, it means you are."

Skipper sighs. He's fighting a losing battle. He waddles up to Julien. The other boys are quiet, not wanting to get involved in the endless drama between the pair.

"Doesn't it mean anything to you when I say I don't _like_ you, like you," Skipper says. "Also, I'd like you in a friendly way more if you would quit bugging me."

Julien tilts his head and smiles. "I know you are lying silly. That's our little game. We are just playing tag, and I have yet to be catching you."

Skipper has a sinking feeling that Julien will never tire of his chase. He will try to shove his romantic sentiments onto Skipper until the day he dies. He wishes he could find something that would permanently distract him. He's already tried every option Kowalski could create.

The other penguins are undoubtedly worn out of this one-sided cat and mouse as well. Nevermind Kowalski's comment once that he's giving as good as he gets. Skipper didn't know what that was meant to convey or imply.

For whatever reason, Julien is obsessed with him. _Idiot_. If he _really _loved Skipper, really knew what it _means_ to love, he would leave him alone. He would try to move on. Skipper has tried his level best to be friendly toward him, but Julien makes it difficult with his continuous advances.

"Get out of my sight."

"Okay baby. I am not looking good enough for your discerning eyes, guess I'll have to groom myself again. I want to look perfect for you!"

Julien practically skips away. He isn't certain whether Julien is actually that oblivious, or if he's just attempting to annoy Skipper to an early grave. Kowalski starts to sneak toward his lab.

"Where are you going?"

"To… to work on something. Totally innocuous!"

"It's not that Love-U-Laser is it? I told you not to remake that thing!"

"No of course not sir…" Kowalski's eyes dart side to side. He slams the door beside him. Skipper groans and goes to make more coffee.

* * *

Julien hums to himself as he brushes his tail. He's starting to wear Skipper down. Persistence, that's an important quality in courting the one you love. He loves the chase too. No matter how Skipper covers it up, Julien knows he feels the same way. He has to work it out of him. Eventually, he will grow tired of the charade and give in.

"Didn't you just do that," Maurice remarks.

"Skipper was finding me unslightly, I must have gotten some dirt in my fur."

"Don't you think this has gone on for too long?"

Julien drops his brush and glares. "What's that supposed to mean, Maurice?"

"At some point… it's clear that someone doesn't feel what you feel, and it doesn't matter what you do, they just can't… you can't force someone to love you."

His eyes are sad. He hates the way Maurice is looking at him, like he's stupid but too stupid to know that he's stupid.

"I am not forcing anything! Do you see me holding him down and making him kiss me? No! I am coaxing it out of him."

"I think you're just pissing him off."

"Says you! Shut up a little."

Maurice cautiously approaches and places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not trying to be mean, your majesty. I'm telling you this for your own good. You need to let him go, or it's going to end in heartbreak."

Julien shoves him away and stands up. "For someone so mushy in his heart, you are overthinking this. I know exactly what it is I am doing, and you are the wrongest about it."

Julien hates fighting with Maurice. He hates when Maurice is frowning at him and lecturing him. He has the strong urge to see Skipper. He is always happiest with Skipper around.

His heart beats faster at the mere thought.

Julien leaves the habitat in a tizzy. Briefly, Mort clings to his leg.

"Don't go! You and Maurice are being bestest friends!"

Julien shakes him off without a word, not at all in the mood now. He shoots one last set of daggers at Maurice. His advisor is merely slumped. He glances at Julien, but he does not have further commentary to offer.

He spies that the penguins are doing drills, except for the smarty one. He jumps in the middle of the fray and accidentally trips up Private and Rico. They grumble at him and waddle off to Skipper.

"Ringtail!"

Skipper rushes to him and gives him a once over. Julien turns a little to present his most flattering angles.

"Watch what you're doing, you could've gotten hurt."

"It is so sweet of you to be caring of me," Julien says. Skipper rolls his eyes.

It's cute when he does that.

"Don't call me cute," Skipper says. _Oops_. Julien must've said that out loud as he thought it. "Or sweet. I am not sweet. Especially not toward you."

"Though your beaky part says one thing, your eyes speak another."

"You're really asking for it."

Julien leans closer. He breathes softly across Skipper's beak. "A kiss?"

"A ki - you want a - "

Behind him, Private and Rico are snickering. Julien doesn't know what's so funny about showing affection.

"No!"

"Please-y? Just a little one? I won't be minding the fishy taste."

Skipper growls and clutches his head like he has a headache. That won't do. He doesn't want Skipper to be bothered with having pains. He steps forward and slips his hands beneath his beloved's flippers.

"I am to be soothing your aches," he explains as he rubs circles.

For a moment, Skipper squirms. Then, he appears to realize that Julien intends to help him. He relaxes a bit and allows Julien to massage his head. Rico covers Private's eyes and guides him to the base.

"He's just giving him a massage," Private protests. Rico mumbles something that Julien is unable to decipher. He thinks it sounds like 'it can lead to other things'. He's not fluent in Rico-speak.

Julien kisses the spot he was rubbing, and Skipper jerks away to his disappointment. He rips off Julien's other hand and puts distance between them.

"Kisses are helping with the owies," Julien says.

"I don't care. _Never_ kiss someone in any way without their consent."

With that, he belly slides back to his HQ. He doesn't even give a good-bye. Julien trudges back to his own habitat, his arms hanging down limply. That could have ended much better.

* * *

When Skipper reaches HQ, Kowalski surfaces with his laser in flipper. Skipper definitely doesn't have the patience for this. He can admit to himself he enjoyed Julien's massage, and he enjoyed the kiss on some level. What is wrong with him?

He isn't _falling_ for Julien is he? After all this time and rejection?

He's jumping the shark. He can get a kick out of the attention sometimes without actively having feelings for the obnoxious lemur royalty. He's just had too much caffeine today, and it's messing with his head, making him jittery.

Kowalski sets his device on the ice and mutters, "Just a final adjustment. I saw just the thing at the dumpster the other day but didn't have the foresight to grab it."

Kowalski hops out of the habitat, presumably to go to the dumpster. Skipper is left alone with his invention. He should show more caution. Skipper nudges it with his foot and considers dumping it in the water. That would be too obvious. He should dump it in Marlene's water. If Kowalski blames her, Skipper will make it up to her later.

He heaves the laser over the wall and drags it to Marlene's place. Unfortunately, Julien materializes in front of him. Everywhere he goes, everything he does, Julien is there to ruffle his feathers. He's sick of it.

A part of him considers accepting Julien's interest and being done with it. Skipper wouldn't deny he's attractive. He doesn't know if he could handle the full force of Julien's supposed 'love' though. Plus, it wouldn't be honorable to trick him in such a wicked way. He's not truly shallow enough to tolerate Julien's attitude in exchange for his hotness either.

Skipper wouldn't make it through one day, if that.

"Do you mind? I'm kind of busy."

Julien strokes his muzzle and bends to examine the device. "I thought the taller penguin is being the inventor?"

"Yes, however, this invention should never have seen the light of day." He shouldn't be confessing this. Julien could easily rat him out.

"Oh, I see. You are getting rid of it for him."

"Exactly. No need to mention this to Kowalski, it's hard for him you know, to accept one of his inventions is an absolute failure."

Julien nods.

"Anyway, I came over to apologize for earlier. You are being right. It's just... I am not… being good at dis thing you know?"

Skipper stares. He's in utter shock. He can't believe two things, one that Julien is actually apologizing and therefore admitting to wrongdoing, nor two, admitting that he's not good at something. Skipper figures in Julien's mind he thinks he can do whatever he wants.

"I - that's very humble of you Julien. Thank you."

"I prefer your endearment for me," Julien says with a slight purr.

"Endearment? You mean _Ringtail?_ That's not a -"

"Oh, musics to my ears, my flipperbird."

Skipper doesn't know why he tries. Julien has his moments of intelligence, but he turns around and ruins it by being a total buffoon. How Skipper wants to slap him, but it would accomplish nothing. Additionally, Julien is a king and technically his friend, it would basically be cold aggression. As in, not right.

He clenches his flipper and resists this violent urge. He hasn't hit anyone purely in anger since he was a fledgling, and he's not about to start now.

"I'm not your boyfriend, and I'm not ever going to be in love with you," Skipper asserts. It grinds his gears when Julien merely laughs.

"You keep telling to yourself that, silly penguin. It won't be making it true."

Julien grabs the invention. "Let me be helping you."

Skipper tries to tug it out of his grip. "I don't need your help you insolent, entitled, moronic, arrogant -"

Julien pulls all the harder. "That's no way to be talking to your love -"

"I don't fucking -"

Julien's fingers slip in their tug of war. The machine vibrates and a bright light flashes in front of their eyes. Skipper falls to the ground. When he blinks his eyes open, Julien is standing over him with a concerned expression on his face.

Never has a sight been more amazing. Suddenly, he can't contain himself. He grasps at empty air for something that's gone - perhaps a wall? He can't remember. All that matters is Julien, standing so close, yet too far.

Skipper breathes, "Love you."

* * *

"Skipper? Are you being alright? I think that ray hit you but you don't look injured."

Julien begins searching his body for injuries as he's observed Skipper doing for others. He forgot how to breathe for a moment when he thought Kowalski's invention was going to explode. Skipper should have never agreed to throw it away for the genius penguin.

"I love you," Skipper repeats.

"Of course I am to be knowing that - _wait_ you what now?"

Julien's brain catches up. '_I don't fucking love you.' _That's the sentence Skipper had been completing from before the invention went crazy. He's confused now that Skipper is claiming the opposite out of the blue. It would thrill him, but it just seems strange under the circumstances.

Skipper slides his wing across Julien's cheek. The touch makes him shiver. Skipper hasn't ever touched him with this tenderness. He remains motionless, for fear of breaking this moment like fragile glass.

"You're stunning. Has anyone ever told you how lovely and handsome you are?" Skipper pauses and squints. "It's like looking into the sun. Yet, I can't bring myself to look away."

"Haha - maybe. Why are you saying these things?" Skipper isn't a romantic. He's not any mushier than Julien. He's sounding like Private would, if he had a significant other with whom he was loving.

"Because. Just because. Why wouldn't I?"

Julien doesn't know what to do with this. His tone of voice is jarringly sappy. He grabs the flipper resting on his cheek and pulls Skipper to his feet. He strokes Skipper's head, just to check for bumps.

"Did you hit your head?"

Skipper chuckles. "Did you hit yours when you fell from heaven - or what did you call it? Frank-ri-la!"

Skipper uses his free flipper to stroke Julien's hand that he's holding. Then, he kisses it. Julien yanks himself free and stumbles backward. He trips over Kowalski's invention and lands on his back.

Skipper walks over the device as though he doesn't even see it there. His eyes are completely focused on Julien. It would be a dream - except Julien is wondering if it is a dream. He may have been the one hit on the head after all.

"This is unreal," Julien proclaims. "Was I fainted or blown up?"

"I agree. I can't believe someone like you _loves_ someone like me."

"Uh. I. I should go! I have important kingly business!"

"So soon? Well, do I at least get a kiss goodbye?"

Skipper looms over him, it's unnerving. For some reason, Julien is stricken with doubt that denying him would do any good. Instead, he climbs to his feet. Only, he ends up back on the ground due to his ankle giving out.

Skipper winces. "It must be sprained. I'll carry you."

He effortlessly scoops Julien into his flippers and totes him to the lemur habitat. He keeps sighing, in a happy way and not the usual exasperated way. Julien is baffled. Skipper carefully sets him on the lounge.

"Wait a sec, my dear, and I'll have you patched up. Where do you keep the supplies?"

Julien points. Skipper belly slides in that direction.

"Maurice!"

His advisor appears at his side. "Yes, your majesty?"

"Were you being serious before when you told me Skipper doesn't want me?"

"Yes. Well, I think deep down he feels something. There's a difference between being attracted to someone and thinking you could have a healthy relationship with them, though. To dig in further, he may be in denial -"

"Now you are just talking nonsense!"

Maurice sighs. "I was serious. Why?"

"Skipper and I got into a fight when I was trying to help him carry Kowalski's invention. Suddenly, there was a bright light, and now he's acting all loving like he was never not being that way! Maurice, am I dead?"

Maurice's jaw falls open. He snaps it closed and shakes his head. "No you're not dead. But when you say 'loving' what do you -"

Before he can finish, Skipper returns. "Hello darling! How are you feeling?"

"Not… great," Julien grits.

Skipper gently prods his ankle. "That's swollen bad. I'll make it all better sweetie."

He tends to Julien's injury. He doesn't seem to notice both the lemur and aye-aye watching him with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows.

"What bizarro world have I stepped into," Maurice remarks while rubbing his eyes. "Skipper, I thought you hated Julien?"

"Hate is a strong word," Skipper says. "How could I ever hate someone so wonderful? You must have me confused with someone else. I love Julien!"

Maurice mutters so only Julien can hear, "This sounds nothing like him."

"Tell me about it," Julien whispers.

Louder, Julien announces, "My ankle is feeling all healed, now you can be going."

Skipper frowns and his whole demeanor deflates. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you, forever."

"But your penguins are needing you! Plus you have to be there when the zoo opens silly penguin..."

"You need me. And I need you… so much…"

He cups the back of Julien's head and leans forward to kiss him. Julien pushes him off and scrambles out of his reach. His ankle fiercely hurts, but he ignores the burning pain. He's been through much worse. He sprints as fast as he's able toward the wall. Skipper is running after him with his flippers outstretched.

"Let me love you! Don't be afraid my love!"

Julien feels sick to his stomach. Is this how Skipper felt? To be creeped out by his cheerful and relentless advances? He was only trying to express himself, but he understands now that he was coming on too strong.

It's not like he has experience to reference. No one taught him the difference. Maurice was always too busy tending to every demand and keeping from getting himself killed to teach him the finer points of courting a mate.

Not that Julien probably would've been listening. For all Julien knows, he might have tried and fell on deaf ears. He is hit by a rush of guilt. No wonder Maurice was insisting on talking him out of his schemes.

Julien dives and dodges as Skipper pursues him through the lemur habitat. He was never this bad, was he? Julien barely manages to climb the smoothie bar counter with his sprained ankle. He grabs a half drunk smoothie and dumps it on Skipper's head. This catches him off guard.

Julien makes his escape over the wall. His relief is short lived.

"I see, you want me to catch you? You _like_ games don't you. Come here you!"

Julien gives a full body shudder. This does not sound remotely like the Skipper he loves. It sounds like a space alien creature talking through him. With his slight limp, it won't be easy to shake him.

He mostly sticks close to the walls and shadows. Eventually after running laps around the zoo, Skipper loses his trail. He's a few meters from the penguin habitat. They're the only ones who could conceivably assist him. At least they would outnumber Skipper.

He freezes at the sound of an engine. Skipper rolls by in the penguins' car. He watches Julien with half-lidded eyes. Julien starts to casually fast walk in the opposite direction. The car pulls up alongside him, jolting forward occasionally to keep with his hurried strides.

"Want to go for a joyride, dollface?"

He's numb, but he nods. There is no way to outrun a functional car. He climbs in. A flipper slides along his arm. He takes the moment while Skipper is distracted by his presence to rip some important cords out of the car. He leaps out and manages to avoid putting weight on his bad ankle. The car goes haywire, spinning in circles before zooming away.

He asks the Sky Gods, "I know he is being not rightly, but please don't let him be getting the hurting."

Julien hears Skipper calling his name in the distance. He scales a fence to find himself in the penguin habitat. Hopefully, the other penguins are inside, they can help him figure out what's going on with Skipper.

All three are there. Private is watching TV while Rico and Kowalski play a card game. They look up as he enters, hearing him panting.

Private waddles to him. "Julien? You're out of breath is something wrong?"

"Skipper. He's. Gone banana peeling off the wheels crazy!"

Kowalski makes an expression of disbelief. "What? Skipper's the most composed guy I know - well, when he's not being paranoid but that's a different story -"

"He wants to do the love-things to me!"

"The - the _what_ now? Isn't that what you want?"

"No! I mean, yes, technically, but he is not acting himself. It is like his brain has been switched with a can of love juice."

Rico snorts.

"You must be kidding," Kowalski says. "This is some kind of prank."

As though specifically to contradict him, Skipper bursts in. "Julien! There you are my love monkey. Aren't you clever hiding here, the last place I would think to look?"

Private parrots, "Love monkey?"

At the same time Kowalski questions, "Clever? And Julien? In the same sentence?"

Julien puts his hands on his hips, indignant. "Hey! I can be clever."

Skipper lunges at him. Julien yelps and dives toward Kowalski and Rico in hopes that can protect him. However, Skipper manages to grab his tail. Julien struggles, but he can't free himself.

He yells, "Get him off, get him off!"

"Gotcha!" Skipper murmurs, "You're it Julien."

"No, I don't want to be it," Julien wails and beats his fists on the floor. "No more tag, no more games I promise! Just let me go!"

If Skipper was in his correct mind, Julien is sure he would see that he is upsetting Julien. They don't always get along, but Skipper is the most principled of anyone he knows.

Dismayed by Julien's obvious distress, Kowalski and Rico grab Skipper. They make an effort to get him to release his grip. Skipper meets Julien's alarmed gaze, his expression determined. He's breathing heavy, yet he doesn't appear that tired.

"You're mine. I love you Julien, and you love me, why do you run from me?"

Julien is shaking. He manages to recover from his shock enough to push his foot into Skipper's eyes and get him off. Skipper plants his foot Julien's thigh and clutches his wrists. Julien freezes. Thinking quickly, he bites down on Skipper's wing. He hates to resort to this violence, but he has no choice.

"Yeeouch!"

Skipper loses his balance and shakes out his flipper, releasing Julien. Rico, Kowalski, and Private keep him surrounded. Julien jumps over his head onto the concrete slab of a table, giving him the higher ground. He tackles Skipper.

"Feisty! What's gotten into you? I like it."

"What has gotten into _you_, Skipper?!"

"What do you mean? I've loved you since I first saw you."

Julien isn't one for physical labor. He doesn't know how long he can keep this up. Skipper is trained in this fighting stuff. He's already able to wriggle, and his feathers are quite slippery.

"Help me!"

Private and Rico assist him in keeping Skipper pinned. Kowalski meanwhile is staring into the distance, his beak slack.

"What the hecks, man," Julien gripes. "Your king is commanding you to help."

"Sorry!" Kowalski slaps his own forehead with his flipper. "Of course, it must be! Julien, I haven't been able to find my invention, and Skipper was the last one I knew to be with it. Did you see him with it?"

Kowalski shoots off a quick description of his creation.

"Yes, he was taking it toward Marlene's. He said he was getting rid of it. Now that I think of it, I wonder why he was not taking it to the dumpster on the opposite side of the zoo…"

"The invention is what's making him act like this!"

Julien grits his teeth as Skipper nearly manages to heave them off.

"Well what are you waiting for stupidy penguin? Get it so you can reverse these effects!" Julien nearly sobs. Nearly. "Fix him! I am just wanting my friend back… I don't care about anything else…"

"Right!" Kowalski climbs the ladder to retrieve his invention.

* * *

The next thing Skipper knows, he's sitting in HQ with a mug of coffee in his flippers. He doesn't remember how he got down here, nor does he remember making coffee and putting it in the mug. Last he recalls, he was having an inane fight with Julien over Kowalski's stupid invention. He looks up from the liquid.

He almost flinches. Rico, Kowalski, Private, and Julien are all there, staring him down. Well, Julien is here, but he's staring at the back of his own hand.

"Uh, hello. You're all being weird. I don't remember getting here. What did I miss?"

Rico makes a disgruntled noise and in his garbled way says, "You and Julien had a fight. Bad fight."

"Helpful synopsis Rico," Skipper says, tone dripping with sarcasm. He takes a sip from his mug. "Anyone else?"

Private asks, "How do you feel about Julien?"

"I - admittedly I'm worried that he looks dejected. An unhappy lemur king never spells good news for us. In any case, the same as I have for a while, I guess."

Private sighs with relief, which is beyond odd. Skipper takes another sip.

"Kowalski?"

"You see, I recalibrated the Love-U-Laser to work based on the strength of one's affections for another. It lowers their inhibitions, so the truth can be revealed. The stronger one's feelings, the more zealous they become." Kowalski voice wavers as he adds, "Unfortunately, the regulator required another component, the lack of which appears to have resulted in memory loss, along with excessive pursuit and ignorance."

"Brilliant. I have no flipping clue what the point of this information is, soldier."

Skipper is too tired for this. How did he get so exhausted? It's like he ran a marathon. His flipper is also throbbing in a strangely particular spot.

"If you would let me finish Skipper. Julien gave me a quick rundown of events, and I've concluded that he accidentally activated the laser, while it was pointed at you."

Kowalski brought the tips of his flippers together under his beak.

"The light flash probably activated your reflexes, wherein you thought it was a weapon and shot it at him. Thus, you became overtly enamored with him, to the point you could not control yourself. You chased him around the zoo, believing that he was playing hard to get."

Kowalski glances at Julien. His expression is pitying, but he appends, "In other words, Julien got a considerable dose of his own medicine. Which is why he's so… withdrawn. I think he recognizes the gravity of this karma."

Julien finally chimes in, "I am not wanting to play da games anymore. I am seeing dat they are not fun after all."

He pushes himself up from the table. His tail drags on the floor as he walks slowly to the ladder. He wraps his hand around the rung. Skipper is fascinated. Julien could've had everything he wanted, but it's clear he must've gotten help to set things right instead.

"Ringtail, wait."

Julien's eyes meet his. Skipper's grip on his mug tightens.

"It sounds like what I did to you, control on myself or not, was much worse. You were just… enthusiastic, not obsessive. I'm sorry you went through that."

It must have been scary. Based on Kowalski's stilted tone of voice, he's leaving some parts out in order to be concise. If he had to guess, he would think he'd tried to force his affections on Julien in less than pleasant ways. He knows in his heart, however annoying Julien is, he would never do that.

"It is nothing that I didn't have coming," Julien grumbles darkly. He climbs toward the surface. Skipper notices he's resting his weight on his left leg in an awkward manner.

"That's not true," Skipper claims. "Your leg - are you hurt? Did I do that?"

"No, it was just an accident, not really being your fault. Neither was the laser. It went off because I was fooling around and butting in where I wasn't wanted. I'm an actor acting like the best thing since sliced pie because I want to fill myself up in the empty parts." Julien finishes, "I am forgiving you for not wanting me, and I have learned the valuing of our friendship."

Skipper almost corrects his idiom, 'best thing since sliced _bread_' before he comprehends the rest of Julien's lengthy statement. It's a sting right to his heart, that makes him realize how rough he's been, in thoughts and words, toward Julien.

Leaving that self-deprecating statement hanging in the air, Julien exits the base. Skipper is speechless. Julien has a knack for surprising him. Were he a more sensitive soul, he would be crying. As it is Private begins to sympathetically sob into his flipper, summing up the whole situation for everyone.

With Julien gone to no longer distract his mind, Kowalski's earlier speech hits him like a sack of bricks. _His invention increases the strength of what's already there. _He would not be so romantically aggressive, apparently not even in Julien's dreams, that much is true. However, to thoroughly frighten the usually oblivious Julien, he must feel more than he previously assumed.

_Maybe he is in love with Julien. _The idea terrifies him. At the same time, he feels overwhelming disappointment that his vehement denial may have led to this calamity. His chances could be ruined.

_Only one way to find out._

"Boys, I've got to take care of something. Don't wait up."

Skipper arrives at the lemur habitat. Julien is sitting at the base of his throne, one arm wrapped around the throne's leg, and another around his own legs. It's obvious he's moping. The sight of him gives Skipper pause. He studies Julien in the feeble light. He really is beautiful. That's not all - he has such a zest for life, he loves adventure, like Skipper, and Skipper admits to himself they can both be rather stubborn and dramatic. It just often puts them on opposing sides; comparatively an unstoppable force, Julien, meeting an immovable object, Skipper. As Skipper is capable of halting Julien, he is capable of budging Skipper.

As doggedly did Julien pursue romance with him, did Skipper steadfastly resist.

They are opposites in many ways, but they are also more alike than Skipper cares to admit to anyone. He keeps quiet as he slips up behind Julien. He can see that Julien's eyes are reddened. It feels bad. What did he do to deserve such a harsh lesson? All he did was try to show him love as best he knew how to do that.

Skipper steps on a twig with purpose. Julien's head snaps up. "Skipper? Is that… what are you… doing here?"

Skipper touches his shoulder. "You don't have to chase me anymore. You've got me."

Julien's whole being seems to light up, in a manner that Skipper would liken to the burst of the sunrise on the horizon following a night long storm. A similar light flickers on in his own heart, no longer shrouded by darkness.


End file.
